Black Sun Widow
by Azshiri
Summary: When Black Dragon Xhialania is left to find and save Deathwing's soul, she also finds the task harder than she thought. Battling orcs, the other dragonflights, and all of Azeroth to prove that Neltharion isn't all evil, she also discovers herself and the truth behind the madness her mate suffered.
1. Chapter 1

Black Sun Widow

Prologue

_Disclaimer: I do not own WoW, Deathwing, orcs, or black dragons. I do own Xhialania, Cheru, and Zellana.(Other characters I own will be introduced later and they'll have their own disclaimer at the top of their page.) This is a gory piece compared to some of my other writings, and will have mature scenes. Once again, I don't own WoW and this is not canon, just a possibility. Hope you enjoy reading it!_

She ran as fast as she could, ignoring the spear tearing into her left haunches. She had to get the Dragonmaw away from her cave at all costs—even her life. There was little hope for the Black Dragonflight if she didn't survive. Her eggs hadn't hatched and were in desperate need of their mother's touch. Or their father's, but Neltharion had gone insane. She was left to fend for their brood alone, and while it hurt, she knew deep down that she would feel his embrace again.

"Lok'tar ogar!" the orcs yelled as they caught her in a corner. Exactly what she wanted. She let out a huge breath of fire and leapt into the air, flapping her wings so that smoke covered their tiny bodies. She then flew to the south—direct opposite of her cave. Fortunately, the Dragonmaw had come up on her while she was hunting.

_How much time do I have before I need to nest again?_ she wondered, trying to lead the orcs that escaped her fire as far away as possible from her actual home.

"Pin her wings then we'll flay the wretch alive. If she has whelps, it won't be long before their meat also decorates our tables." The orcs cheered, their leader yelling loud as she dipped into another cavern.

_If they threaten my babies one more time—_

"Run! There's too many! Fight them if you can, but there's no honor in dying to a dragon—dear gods is that—"

Screams and a familiar roar sounded through the cavern. She poked her head out and roared back her thanks—Neltharion, aka Deathwing, swooped down and consumed most of the orcs in one fiery breath.

"Xhialania?" he whispered in draconic, stopping mid-flight.

She nodded and flew up to meet him. "I still have it, and I still have a brood. There is hope."

He nuzzled her gently before shaking his head. "I'm not safe to be around you, but I'll be damned if orcs will kill one of my flight."

He then flew off without a goodbye, a kiss, or even a tail wave. He truly was mad, but like he had said when he gave her the stone, there was sanity and goodness to be found in him.

She, Xhialania of the Black Dragonflight, would find it and save him.


	2. Chapter 2

Black Sun Widow

Chapter 1—The Hunt For an Old Friend

Xhialania flew the long way to her nest, just in case she had any sort of follower. As she landed, her two older daughters met her at the cave entrance. She walked past them several feet before collapsing on her right side.

"Mother?" Cheru—the red drake she had adopted—whimpered. Zellana let out a low growl when she saw the spear wedged in her mother's thigh.

"It has to come out or you'll get infection," she stated. Cheru moved around to see the wound and gasped.

"What happened?"

Xhialania frowned, then grimaced in pain. Zellana was right. The wound would have to be sealed so she didn't bleed, but Cheru could heal enough to do the job.

"I was hunted," Xhialania replied. "I need you two to help me, once again," she whimpered, the pain leaping through her words.

"Anything," both girls responded.

"Zellana, I need you to pull the spear out. Cheru, I need you to heal the skin wound. Don't worry with the scales. For now, I'd like to keep the battlescar."

Both girls immediately nodded and got in position.

"Ready?" Zellana asked. Xhialania nodded weakly. It was hard to be ready for something that would hurt more coming out than it did going in.

Zellana pulled and black blood gushed out of the wound. Cheru began chanting and the wound slowly began to mend, flesh knitting itself together despite the waterfall of blood oozing down her mother's leg. Finally, the bleeding stopped, then the skin caked over the hole forming a thick scab. Another moment passed and the scab shrunk and the black skin replaced it.

"We're done," Cheru whispered, as not to interrupt her mother's gasping for air. Zellana walked to her mother's chin and nudged it gently.

"Lani, you smell like father," Zellana said in surprise. Xhialania smiled at being called by her nickname and nodded.

"I saw him. He saved me…then he said he wasn't safe to be around and left. We're still to remain in hiding, all three of us. We'll trade off on nesting, hunting, and guarding the cave. No one is to enter except our trio. Not even other black drakes, and certainly not red drakes. Am I clear?"

"Yes, mother," the girls replied together. She had kept them alive and safe since they were whelps. It was almost an act of honor to be able to help her.

"When the cave becomes a hatchery, we're going to have to move further in, so whoever is nesting can also look for places to hide the whelps. They are going to be the hardest part of staying hidden. Fortunately, we've still three months before the first are supposed to hatch," Lani explained. She tried to stand only to collapse further and revert to her humanoid form. Both Cheru and Zellana looked worried, and Cheru finally broke the silence.

"I think it was poisoned, maybe," she said. Her voice was timid and shaky, much like her personality.

"Maybe? Well do something about it, Cheru!" Zelanna exclaimed, stomping the ground.

"I am, there's going to be a boil on her left leg shortly. We'll drain it with a claw."

Lani was feeling too sick to argue or even understand what the two drakes above her were arguing about nor did she care. She believed herself on death's door, a failure to her mate and her broods, a failure to all of Azeroth, and all because of a damned orc.

_No, I can't blame my weakness on orcs. They are just doing what they need to do for survival. Just like the Black Dragonflight. Sure, the other flights find us terrifying and dangerous, but our place on Azeroth is just as important as theirs. I need to speak to Alexstrasza—perhaps she'll meet me outside the gates of Grim Batol._

"Ow!" Lani cried as she felt a sickly cold liquid run down her thigh. It stung and Cheru quickly snatched a piece of her now robed humanoid body to rub the poison away.

"Weak poison, weak poison," she repeated as she dabbed the remainder of the pus away. "And though a weak poison, still bad. It wouldn't have killed you, but you might have lost a lot of mobility in that leg."

"Is it all drained?" Zelanna demanded, her wings flared angrily. She was patient with Cheru—much more patient than most of the other black drakes living with them—but she had a temper and intolerance for waiting.

"I left a very small amount in so that her body can learn to fight that poison and be less inhibited by it. I would like to inject you and myself so that we can also have our bodies learn to fight it," Cheru replied, her long red hair caught in one of the cave drafts. Her gentle amber eyes met Zelanna's fierce green ones before Zelanna finally nodded. Cheru returned to her dragon form and with the claw that she had extracted the poison from Xhialania with, she swiped Zelanna's front leg. She then pricked the poisonous boil on Lani's leg again before stabbing her claw into her right foot.

"The orcs will have to learn to fight in new ways if they want to defeat us," Zelanna growled with pride, licking the wound. Cheru nodded, also licking her wound.

"Neltharion, come home," Lani whispered as she fell into a deep slumber.

"Mother?" Zelanna called, nudging her mother gently with her snout. Xhialania looked up at her with glazed eyes, a combination of weakness and exhaustion. Slowly, her expression calmed until she sat up, surprised that she had been carried into her room and tucked in under a leather hide.

"Zela, Cheru, what happened last night?" She asked, panic beginning to enter her mind.

"You passed out talking about dad, so we carried you here. A few of the pyrewings went out to get food since the two of us decided to nest and nurse you back to health…and sorry about the blanket. It's a little big, but it's my baby blanket," Zelanna laughed. Lani smiled, patting the leather.

"It's warm and kept me warm. While I appreciate your care and company, I do need some time alone to think."

"I'll be at the entrance of the cave if you need me, mother," Zelanna nuzzled her mother gently before trotting out of the room. Lani stood up quickly, finding a wall to support her dizzy, sick body. She walked along the wall to a small hallway, looked behind her to make sure no one was following, then walked through the tiny cavern. At the very end were various treasures and while Lani grazed her fingers over a swirling black and red stone, she pulled out a small mirror.

"Alexstrasza, the Life-Binder," she stated into the glass. Her nerves began to fray as the mirror shimmered. She was a black dragon—one of the highest ranked—and she had the audacity to ask the Dragonqueen for help. What was she thinking? Worse yet, she could give her position away and kill her entire brood. Was she thinking?

"Xhialania, mother of the Chromatic Flight," a cool voice replied. "Whatever could I do for you?"

"I called because of Neltharion. First, I apologize for his behaviors, but that is really all I can do on his account. I want to save him. I want him to be the Earthwarder again, not this mad, crazed interpretation of a dragon."

Alexstrasza's face softened as she shook her head. "I have tried many things to save my brother. He is lost, but you've given me hope that not all of the Black Dragonflight is hopelessly lost with him."

"I will do my best not to cave in to that calling. Can you answer some questions for me?"

"Of course, of course."

"What made him mad to begin with?"

"It's hard to say…in the beginning, we thought he was just desperate to stop the Legion, but he mentioned hearing voices. In retrospect, I believe he was being tormented by the old gods for eons, making his corruption deep and paranoid. If we had not agreed to the Dragon Soul, or if we'd used Nozdormu's foresight…there are so many things we could have done to save him before he was lost."

"If anyone is to blame for not saving him, it would be Nozdormu, not the other aspects. But Nozdormu is held to an oath to do what is best for the world. If I remember from the stories, had you not had the Dragon Soul, you'd have lost to the Legion," Lani replied.

Alexstrasza nodded. "We gave up much to win that war. I fear we'll give up much to win this war, as well. I must bid you farewell, Xhialania, but know this. I did not want to kill Malygos, my brother, and I do not want to kill Neltharion, my brother. If you can save him, may the Titans guide you."

The mirror shimmered, then cracked slightly around the edge. Lani gently set it down, mumbling as she thought. The old gods. She'd heard of them, but nothing much about them. Somehow, she had to get to a library or find people she could ask about the old gods. Lani had heard rumors that one had been awoken in the northeast of the highlands, and so she decided that her next hunting session would be there.

_Old gods, old gods, old gods…could they be the voices he heard? The whispers in the night that made him stir? The reason he distanced himself from us? Onyxia might know, or Sinestra, but I've heard they're both dead. Nefarian couldn't tell his head from his ass, so he certainly wouldn't know. Who could I ask…I could pray. The Titans would know the old gods._

"Mother? We've got eggs hatching with soft shells, help!"

All thoughts of old gods were gone as Lani ran through the hallway and to her hatchery. Whelps were indeed hatching and keening for their mother. Lani transformed into her dragon form and began to care for them. It was too soon for them to be hatching. Far too soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Black Sun Widow

Chapter 2—The Hatchery

_Disclaimer: Maraina, the Twilight Dragon, is one of my characters. Twilight Dragons, as with all fore-mentioned and post-mentioned dragonflights, belong to Blizzard. Also, a fair warning: This chapter is somewhat gory._

"What's happening?" Cheru called as she nudged a whelp free from his eggshell cage.

"Some form of heat source or calling brought them out, just make sure to keep the healthy ones away from the sick ones," Lani replied. Most of them were healthy, but hiding a cave of 200 babies was something she had needed time to prepare for. _No time for me. Seems I counted wrong since breeding…_

"These five are dead—no, seven," Zelanna murmured. Lani pushed past her and hissed, wondering if the next ten eggs in that clutch were dead or just not ready to hatch yet. Slowly the cracking and squeaking turned into chirping and purring—112 whelps now flew around on weak wings, most desperately clinging to Lani's side or back.

"How many hatched?" Lani asked as she tried to lick and tend to every single one of the little dragons begging for her attention.

"Less than half…"

"Most eggs contained two or three each," Zelanna said. "Dad was feeling perky when he made this bunch."

"Shut up, Zelanna," Lani said, ducking her head so a whelp could climb onto her horns. She eyed the rest of the eggs warily. What had happened to make them hatch? Why hadn't they all hatched? The eggs didn't smell dead; were they rotting?

"Mother, mother, am I late again?" a voice called from the entrance of the cave. Zellana hissed and flared her wings.

"Don't answer that bitch," she growled.

"Hush, Zelanna, she lives here too. Yes, Maraina, you're late again," Lani replied, now concerned on why Maraina had come home empty pawed. She didn't have time for sibling rivalries, either. Zelanna was older than Maraina and thought herself superior because she was a black dragon. Maraina was smarter than Zelanna and beat her in many competitions. While they would fight side by side and die for each other, they both held grudges towards each other that compromised any peace that the cave might have.

"Wait, why did the eggs hatch? I _know_ I'm not _that_ late."

"We don't know," Zelanna snapped. "Why don't you share what you think happened. I'm sure you have some amazing opinion that will blow our minds and make us bow to you in awe."

"I smell father," Maraina replied. "That's my only guess. They hatched to get to the scent."

"Which would make sense if they had hatched when I came in last night. Might I mention that of the 51 that hatched, which is less than half of the brood, 112 were born. Twins and triplets in every egg that survived. Those born alone died, a total count of 26. If you'll excuse me, I need to consume the lost and teach these to feed," Lani replied, walking over to the pile of dead whelps. Her eyes teared up only for a moment before she leaned down and snatched one into her maw. The loud crunch sounded through the silent cavern. The healthy whelps hopped down and began gnawing on their dead siblings. The sickly ones tried, but were overtaken by the stronger ones and became a part of the meal. Lani ate beside them, her crunch sounding over the chirping of the baby dragons. Cheru, Zelanna, and Maraina stood silent in the background, all three respecting a mother's duty and fearing it. One day, if they survived, they would perform this same ritual for every brood they laid.

After the whelps were fed and the dead consumed, Lani let out a sad roar, laying down and resting her head on her front paws. The little ones did not approach her, instead finding nests to lay on for a nap. The total left was 52—19 chromatic, 21 twilight, and 12 black dragons. Less than half of the hatched survived, and it tore at Lani's heart. There was a high chance that this would be her last brood from Neltharion.

_No. I'll save him. I can save him. Titans, guide me to those old gods so that I might find why they drove him crazy. Titans guide my wings to safety, and let my children grow to be strong like their father. Teach them the things I fail to teach them, guide them to skies I have not soared, and bless them as you have done for all dragonkin. I beg that you be with me and that I get to see Neltharion sane again, even if it is in his death. Dearest Titans, forgive where we have erred, where we have meddled with your plans for Azeroth, where we have played at being gods. Forgive us, and be with me, please, as I journey to save my heart's beat. In Norgannon's name, amen._

"You look strangely determined," Maraina mumbled as Lani stood up. She turned and nodded.

"I am going out to hunt for my own food, I trust the three of you can raise some whelps for a couple of days?"

Cheru shook her head while Maraina and Zelanna nodded.

"Why are you going to be gone more than a few hours?" Cheru asked, her scaly brow wrinkling in concern. She walked to her mother's side and brushed her wings against Lani's wings.

"I have more to do than hunt, Cheru. There are burdens on my heart that must be settled. I thank you for asking, but I won't answer more than that, and none of the three of you can help me safely. So let's discuss the whelps. They stay at the back of the cave near the water springs. If one ventures out, let it go. If it comes back, kill it as an example. As for food, there are plenty of worgs, deer, dwarves, and orcs nearby that make for an easy meal. Only one of you should hunt at a time, as keeping this cave safe is the key to our survival," Lani explained.

"What if one of us gets captured?" Zelanna asked, eyeing Cheru.

"Then I pray you a swift death. It's a sudden, hard responsibility I hand you three, but I trust you can do this else I wouldn't be wasting my breath," Lani replied. The three younger drakes nodded looking around the cave at the few whelps and the eggs left to hatch. Each one walked to a different section and an order came about them with Zelanna as the leader. Cheru would not be hunting if Zellana had anything to do with it. She was better suited nursing the young anyway. Zelanna and Maraina could switch shifts, taking different paths and hunting different areas to avoid attracting too much attention. The area was full of black and twilight drakes anyway, they would blend in.

"You are settled then? I will gather my things and return to you as soon as possible. Should I die—"

"No," all three girls shouted at once. Should their mother die, they would deal with it then and until then it was going to stay off their minds.

"I trust you and girls?"

"Yes?"

"I love you, too," Lani whispered before vanishing in her corridor.


	4. Chapter 4

Black Sun Widow

Chapter 3—The Adventure Begins

Lani ran her finger over all of her treasures and sighed.

_Three piles. Set them in three piles then you can take the necklace, mirror, and blanket and head out of here. Just divide the rest of the treasures into three piles. _

"Can I even do this to them…should I wait?" she whispered, careful that the girls didn't hear her. _I have to trust them and…I have to trust myself._

She looked in the mirror and tugged her braid to the side, red eyes glowing. Her dark skin hid beneath her dark black hair and she sighed again.

_I look most like the elves, more specifically, the Sin'dorei. Let's see, what sort of story can I make up…I was wounded at the Sunwell explosion and have poor daylight vision due to the blast. It also discolored my eyes red, and I never used fel magic or drew power from it. Yes, yes, that works. And my name will be Lani Blooddawn, and I am adventuring to discover just how bad the old gods are. I also want to avenge my family against the Scourge, and I seek to earn enough materials to make a stall to sell my wares after my adventure is over. I'm not fond of the orcs, but I am willing to work with them to make a better Horde. Is that all I need…_

She nodded to herself and pulled out her old rucksack. A skinning knife and small spade for digging up flowers lay inside. _Guess my wares are leathers and flowers. I have a pickaxe, but that's too bulky. Leather and herbs it is, I can make money with that._

She gently eased the mirror into a side pocket and then tucked her blanket in. Next, she picked up the amulet and put it around her neck. The other treasures—among them a bronze dragon's pocketwatch, a blue dragon's claw, a red dragon's neck scales, and several trinkets for fighting—were divided up into three even piles. Lani then pulled out a pen and some paper from her single drawer and wrote her daughter's names on it. She tore the paper into three strips and placed the name on the pile she thought best fit the girls.

_I guess it's time. _

_You'll never make it without him_, a cool voice whispered in the back of her mind. Lani shook her head. She had heard those negative voices since she was a small whelp; it was one of the things that made her so close to her father. She heard what he heard. But she hadn't gone insane. Maybe he went mad because he was an aspect. Or maybe he heard them worse than she did—driving an aspect to do dirty work had proven successful for the blue dragons in Northrend and seemed to be working dangerously well for the black and twilight dragons all around Azeroth. But was there a connection in Malygos' madness and Neltharion's? And what about that human that became the Lich King, Arthas? Did his madness also have something to do with what drove so many others mad?

_I'll do what I damned well please with or without anyone, _she replied. The voice hissed but made no other sounds or taunts towards her. Lani looked down at her feet and shook her head. Hooves. She forced them into feet and walked around her room awkwardly, stumbling and catching herself several times before she felt comfortable with 'normal' feet. She ran a hand over her head, relieved that she didn't have horns to hide.

_It is time. I've got to go now or I'll second-guess myself into staying put._

"Girls, come here," Lani called. She heard the swishing of wings and pounding of large feet shift to that of hooves. Maraina was the first to arrive, then Cheru, then Zellana.

"None of you argue or talk back. These three piles are for you. They may come in handy, but I hope that you don't have to use them. Now, come hug your mother before she leaves."

All three girls embraced Lani, Cheru crying and Zellana fighting tears. Maraina seemed the calmest, but she was the one to speak.

"You only have to do this if your heart demands it, Lani."

"My _soul_ demands it, Raina," Lani replied.

"Just don't let your soul take away what your heart has earned you on a futile mission. It's time we recognize how dangerous this is for you and…I wish I could go with you. But I'll see you again, right? We'll all see you again?"

"Absolutely," Lani replied, hiding her doubts and fears. "I look forward to see how much you three will grow while I am gone."

"Ever the mother," Zelanna sobbed as she buried her head under Lani's chin. Cheru cried louder and let go, sulking back to the bed.

"Maraina, you make sure to be home on time. Zelanna, keep your temper down around the whelps. Cheru, be the beautiful optimist you are by nature. All three of you, be true to yourselves and you cannot fail anything. I love you, girls. I love you so much," Lani replied, breaking the embrace and wiping a tear away.

"It's time."

The girls nodded weakly as Lani walked past them, rucksack tied loosely on her back. She reached the entrance of the cave and denied herself a chance to look back at her family. Instead, she pulled the rucksack off of her back and placed it in her mouth, transforming and flying north towards the place she knew an old god to be: the maw of Iso'rath.


End file.
